Lopez said the department continues to focus on larcenies, which accounted for 53 percent of Part 1 crimes in 2012. He said about 90 percent of burglaries were to homes, and the most frequently stolen items included computer hardware and software, jewelry, precious metals, electronics, tools and cash.

Motor vehicle thefts were up about 10 percent in 2012, following a 10-year low in 2011. The most stolen vehicles were Hondas.

The report also said that the department is fully staffed with 514 sworn officers, and is at 91 percent for non-sworn personnel, with only 10 of 117 positions unfilled.

Regarding police response times, the report said there were 3,345 “priority-one” calls from July 1, 2012 to Dec. 31, 2012, and that the response times averaged 5.9 minutes, just over the department’s target of 5.8 minutes.

The report also cited the discovery last year of a “chop shop” operation – where stolen vehicles are disassembled and their parts sold – in a warehouse at 706 Ellis Road. A man was arrested on multiple felony charges.

Durham police arrested three people in November in connection with a three-month undercover operation targeting organized retail theft.

In an interview Tuesday, Durham Mayor Bill Bell said he was encouraged by the figures.

“What I’m always looking for, and what I think the council is looking for, are trends in terms of our crime – whether they’re going up, staying flat or going down. And the trend the chief presented was a downward trend, which is always good, and some of the numbers were pretty impressive.”

Bell said that in addition to good police work, the community deserves credit.

“In addition to chasing criminals and solving crimes, police are also doing community work, and I think that’s a very important part – it shows another face to the community of what the police are about, and builds relationships,” Bell said.

“And while we give credit to law enforcement in terms of these numbers, we also give credit to the community for their cooperation.”

“Are we satisfied?” Bell asked. “No. I don’t think we’ll ever be satisfied. But when you see the trends going down, that’s encouraging.”